


will it please me when someone lights a candle and says my name

by thewalrus_said



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Amy lives, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Medical Miracles, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28118706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewalrus_said/pseuds/thewalrus_said
Summary: “Well, this is awkward,” Kieren said, when it became clear that no one else was going to say it. It needed to be said, no matter how much it made Simon burrow deeper into his sweater and look like he wanted to die again. Kieren brushed his fingers against Simon’s leg for comfort and braced himself, looking up at Amy.“No,” Amy said briskly, slamming the flats of her hands onto the table. “I will not stand for it, Kieren Walker. This isnotawkward. This is the first of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of family dinners as our little happy zombie family, now that you’ve moved into the bungalow with us, and it isnot awkward.”
Relationships: Amy Dyer & Simon Monroe & Kieren Walker, Simon Monroe/Kieren Walker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	will it please me when someone lights a candle and says my name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [withinmelove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/withinmelove/gifts).



> I hope you like this, withinmelove! I kind of smushed two of your prompts together, haha, but hopefully the result is still something you like!

“Well, this is awkward,” Kieren said, when it became clear that no one else was going to say it. It needed to be said, no matter how much it made Simon burrow deeper into his sweater and look like he wanted to die again. Kieren brushed his fingers against Simon’s leg for comfort and braced himself, looking up at Amy.

“No,” Amy said briskly, slamming the flats of her hands onto the table. “I will not stand for it, Kieren Walker. This is  _ not _ awkward. This is the first of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of family dinners as our little happy zombie family, now that you’ve moved into the bungalow with us, and it  _ is not awkward.” _

“No, it is, though,” Kieren argued. “It’s not a  _ bad _ thing. I’ve had plenty of awkward family meals. I just think it needs acknowledging.”

“Well, you’ve acknowledged it,” Amy said, picking up her knife and fork. “But you wouldn’t have had to, if you two would stop sitting there like guilty puppies.” Kieren and Simon exchanged a look that, yes, alright, could conceivably be called  _ guilty, _ and Amy sighed. “Seriously, guys, it’s  _ fine,” _ she said, spearing a bit of fish and bringing it to her mouth. “I have a new beau, I’m totally over it,” she went on as she chewed. “You two can be as gooey, lovey-dovey, honeymoon period as you like, and all I’ll do is coo and feel  _ incredibly _ smug.”

Simon relaxed almost tangibly; Kieren could practically  _ feel _ his shoulders slump with relief. “Thanks, Amy,” he murmured, tangling his fingers with Kieren’s under the table. She raised her eyebrows at him, motioning with her fork; he huffed a laugh and said, “Amy, the beautiful genius.”

“That’s more like it.” Amy dug deeper into her fish, chewing and swallowing with obvious relish.  _ “God, _ this is  _ delicious,” _ she moaned, holding a chip up to the light.

“Smells good,” Kieren said. It did, too, better than any human food had smelled to him since he rose.

“Speaking of,” Simon said, leaning his free elbow onto the table. “You’re feeling okay, right, Amy? I know you met with Dr. Russo this morning.”

“Right as rain,” Amy said. “Heart’s beating, lungs working, blood’s a-pumping like it never stopped. The wound that  _ cow _ left is even healing a little bit too, he says.” Her face twitched a little at that, like she was hiding an expression. Kieren saw Simon clock it too, out of the corner of his eye, but before either of them could say anything, she barreled on. “Only thing I’m not dead pleased about is certain bathroom activities, although I shouldn’t say that at the table.”

“‘S alright,” Simon said. “You’re the only one eating.”

“Very true,” she agreed, jabbing her fork at him with each word.

“Does he have any idea what caused it?” Kieren asked. “Your transformation.”

She shook her head. “Current working theory is the homebrew neurotriptyline from the commune, but Simon’s had much more of that than I have, and he’s not human again. Must just be lucky, I guess.”

“Our lucky Amy,” Simon said quietly. Kieren looked over at him; he was smiling slightly, and winked when Kieren caught his eye.

Life in the bungalow, Kieren came to realize over the next few days, was different to life at his parents’ house.  _ Very  _ different. In more ways than just the layout. He hadn’t worn his mousse or contacts in weeks, not since everything had gone down, but he hadn’t realized how much his dad’s flinches (although, to be fair, they were well-hidden) had been getting to him until he moved into the bungalow, where his face was greeted with nothing but soft smiles from Simon and a cheek pinch from Amy.

It felt  _ good. _

What felt less good were the nosebleeds that kept happening, and the way his hands kept shaking on their own. He managed to keep both from Simon through such devious means as pulling him in for a hug or a kiss to wipe his nose or hide his trembling. It was a little blunt-force, but Simon didn’t seem to notice or mind, and it’s not like Kieren couldn’t use the hugs.

He couldn’t hide from himself, though. Every day he dialled half of Dr. Russo’s number, and every day he put the phone back in the cradle and talked himself out of it. Not the healthiest of strategies, but it was getting him through, until one day, a week after he’d moved in, when he went to pass Amy the salt for the eggs she was making herself and dropped it. The shaker shattered, salt flying everywhere. “I’m not a hundred percent on this, but I’m pretty sure that’s bad luck,” she said, looking down at the little while pile on the floor.

“Sorry,” Kieren said, lunging for the dustpan in the cupboard. She caught him, though, grabbing his wrists in her hands so there was no way to hide their shaking. “Hmm,” she said, and let go one one wrist to put her hand to his face and pull one pair of his eyelids apart. “Nosebleeds?” she asked.

“What?” Kieren jerked his head back, blinking his now-dry eye.

“Have you been having nosebleeds?” she asked, as though he were a small child. “Pain during your injections? Any seizures?”

The answer to all three of those were yes, so naturally, he deflected. “Amy, what are you on about?”

She seized the toast where it was awaiting her eggs and shoved it at his mouth. “Eat this.” On instinct, he chewed and swallowed, and then had to wrench himself free of her grasp to gag and spit into the sink. “Hmm,” she said again, rubbing his back.

“Amy, what is going on?”

“Guess it wasn’t the homebrew injections after all,” she said incomprehensibly. “What have I told you, Kieren Walker? You’re special! Just like I am. Come on, I’m taking you to Dr. Russo right this very minute.” Kieren only just managed to turn the heat off under her eggs before she dragged him out of the room.

“Well, it’s slower than Miss Dyer’s was, that’s for sure,” Dr. Russo said, turning off the light he’d been shining into Kieren’s eyes an hour later. “But you do appear to be on the same road.”

“On the same road?” Kieren asked. His stomach, which hadn’t recovered from its toast attack, was in even more knots.

“You’re turning human again!” Amy cried, squeezing his arm.

“Let’s not jump the gun,” the doctor said hastily. “But your symptoms of PDS do appear to be receding. I’m gonna have you in for daily check-ups to monitor you and your progression,” he added, reaching for his scheduling book. “We want to keep a close eye on this. But no sending samples off to Norfolk,” he finished darkly.

“Why not?” Amy asked. He just gave her an obviously fake smile and started pencilling Kieren in for future appointments.

Amy chattered all the way back to the bungalow, clutching Kieren’s hand all the while. He was grateful for her grip; it kept him tethered, where he would otherwise have just drifted away.

“Simon!” Amy shouted when they got home, pulling Kieren along behind her. Simon emerged from their bedroom, pulling his cardigan tighter around himself, a curious look on her face. “Family meeting,” she told him, pushing past him into the room he shared with Kieren. “Everyone on the bed.”

Once they were settled to her liking, Simon took Kieren’s hand. “What’s going on?” he asked, his eyes boring into the side of Kieren’s head.

Kieren sighed. He looked up at Amy for help, but she had her arms crossed and was looking at him expectantly. “I’ve been having some symptoms,” he confessed slowly, resolutely not looking at Simon. “We’ve just come from the doctor’s, and...”

“And?” Simon sounded worried.

Kieren sighed again. “And he thinks what happened to Amy is happening to me too, just slower.”

“What happened to Amy,” Simon said. His fingers tightened around Kieren’s hand. “You mean you’re...”

“Going into remission from PDS,” he finished. “Yeah. Looks like it.”

“Oh.” Kieren couldn’t tell a single thing from Simon’s tone, and he still couldn’t bring himself to look at his face.

He looked at Amy’s instead, which was somehow more of a mistake; she had the dawning look on her face of someone who is only just realizing they’ve massively misread the mood of the room. “I’ll just... I’ll just give you two a minute to yourselves,” she said, backing out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

They sat in silence for a solid minute. There wasn’t even the sound of breathing to break the quiet; Kieren’s remission, if that’s what it was, hadn’t progressed that far yet. Then Simon kissed the side of his head and said, “Kieren, will you look at me?”

Kieren steeled himself and forced his eyes to focus on Simon’s face. It wasn’t as bad as he had been expecting; Simon had his little half-smile on, and his eyes were soft. “Hi,” he murmured. “How’re you feeling?”

Kieren wrinkled his nose. “Scared, mostly,” he said. “A little excited, and a little guilty about being excited, and a lot... a lot scared.”

“What are you scared of?” Simon asked. “Anything beyond the fact that you’re a medical miracle and there’s only one other person who’s gone through what you’re going through?”

Kieren let out a burst of hysterical laughter. “What, beyond that?” Simon smiled but didn’t let up his gaze, and eventually Kieren got himself under control. “I’m scared what this means for us,” he finally confessed, biting his lip. “I know how you feel about the living, and I know we don’t really  _ know _ if Amy’s properly  _ living, _ but...”

“Kieren.” Simon put a hand on his neck. Kieren tried not to lean into it too desperately. “There’s how I feel about the living, and then there’s how I feel about you. You could be living, PDS, a vampire, anything at all, and it wouldn’t change how I feel about you. Alright?”

Kieren’s remission seemed to have taken several large steps forward in the last minute, because after that speech, he felt a little bit breathless. “Alright,” he said, feeling the edges of his mouth twitch up. “I’m being stupid.”

“Not stupid.” Simon leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “Never stupid, Kieren.”

“Right.”

“Maybe a little silly,” Simon allowed with a grin, and Kieren laughed out loud.

Amy was pacing the living room when they emerged a few minutes later. She turned to them, face distraught, but Kieren held up a hand. “It’s alright,” he said. “We’re alright.”

She jumped at them, throwing an arm around each of their necks. “Ohhhhhh, my boys,” she squeaked. “Our little happy zombie family’s not so zombie after all.”

Kieren wrapped the arm that wasn’t around Simon’s shoulders around her waist. “Still a family, though,” he said.

“Always a family,” Simon put in from her other side. Amy just squeed and squeezed them tighter.


End file.
